We are a registered irish charity located and serving the area of
the Beara Peninsula, West Cork, Ireland.
Above: Donkeys in our temporary foster care home due to owner illness. They went on to be rehomed through the kindness and support of one of the large animal charities.
Above: poulticing a donkey who was recovering from a hoof abscess
Our intention is to support owners and their equines in order to help members of our community maintain their animals. Prevention is so much easier than cure, for all parties.
As the Beara Peninsula is a remote rural location, we face certain challenges.
We have helped owners in a wide range of ways. The journey of Equine Support started off in 2019, when we found that many owners would skip routine farrier care due to the challenges of handling animals. This can be a very real challenge for all owners, irrespective of their personal situation but especially for elderly farmers and owners recovering from serious illness.
Handling & Restraint: This started with a volunteer accompanying the farrier to catch and restrain animals from the field, so that the animals hooves could be regularly maintained.
Poulticing Lame Equines: We have helped lame equines who are suffering with hoof abscess by visiting the owner daily or every 2 days and soaking and poulticing the animal until they recover.
Assistance with Rehoming: Out of this farrier support service, we went on to help owners when they wished to rehome their equines. In some cases, the equines had conditions that the owners were struggling to manage. In other cases, the owners may be elderly or have health issues. We have helped to secure places for equines at the most suitable charity for them.
Transportation: We have also at times, transported equines to charities on behalf of the owners.
Foster Homes: We have provided foster homes for equines that are in between homes or waiting for a free place in one of the large animal charities.
Securing Straying Animals: we have assisted the police to get straying equines off of the public roads and secure them out of harms way.
Chairperson
Rob Grant
Secretary
Julie Coldrick
Not only is Julie bringing over 49 years of experience working in education and Community groups to the table. She has supported for a long time equine charities based in UK and Ireland. Since her permanent move to Ireland, she found herself in a role of supporting donkey owners in her community in a variety of ways. Since acquiring her own donkeys, who were unhandled and lacking trust in humans, Julie has studied and utilised training methods to gain trust and change behaviour successfully. Her approach with donkeys is calm, consistent and patient. Julie also sits on the board of another animal charity and therefore brings a depth of perspective and experience to the work of Equine Support.
Co-ordinator
Norah de Barra
Norah has volunteered for a number of equine charities since starting at Horse World Bristol in 2011, while living in the UK. After taking in a severely neglected donkey in 2018, she went on to train in Equine Studies, hoof care and Equine Sports Massage Therapy. While managing her donkeys lameness, she learned a few things along the way about hoof management, healing abscesses and trimming. At Beara Equine Support, she gives a helping hand to owners who may find themselves in a similar position.
Treasurer
Neil Cleminson
Neil helps out with treasurer activities as well as assisting on the ground with handling animals for the farrier and equine dentist, driving the horse trailer as well as fundraising. Neil has empathy for all animals and has helped progress the activities of Beara Equine Support since he joined in early 2024.
At Equine Support, there is a group of volunteers who make a significant contribution to the lives of equines and their owners.
In a crisis situation, our volunteers show up when their help is critically needed. The work of Equine Support would not be possible without their contribution of time, experience, knowledge and willingness to help others and their animals in the community.